Shocking moment cops find two families scrunched in the back of a windowless hire truck on their way to 'find work' after motorist alerted authorities when he saw a hand hanging out of the back
- The driver feared it was human trafficking but cops said this was not the case
This is the shocking moment cops find two families stuffed in the back of a windowless hire truck while on their way to 'find work' after a driver alerted authorities to the vehicle when he noticed a hand hanging out of the back.
In footage posted to Facebook by motorist Langston Proper, from Atlanta, a large blue Go Budget truck can be seen making its way down Interstate I-85, Northbound, before viewers' attention is drawn to a single dangling hand.
Langston zoomed in to the back of the vehicle, showing the lone body part and revealed he feared he was witnessing humans being trafficked.
'I followed them from midtown Atlanta all the way to Gwinnett County almost damn near to Lake Lanier. My ancestors and GOD said don’t stop, give in or give up. Stay with them, we will guide you and protect you along the way #humantraffickingawareness,' he wrote on Facebook.
As he followed the truck on Friday morning, he immediately contacted law enforcement while recording the chilling incident unfold on his phone.
Langston Proper, from Atlanta, was driving down Interstate I-85, Northbound, when he noticed a human hand dangling from the back of a rental hire truck and feared he was witnessing human trafficking
He immediately called law enforcement who dashed to the scene to carry out a search of the vehicle
When the shutter was lifted, a total of eight people making up two families were revealed. Gwinnett County Police told MailOnline the two families claimed they were traveling from Alabama to Maryland for a new job opportunity and that 'there is no evidence at this time of human trafficking'
The live updates and continuous communication with officers allowed the authorities to intercept the truck effectively and carry out a search.
After stopping the rental truck, cops swarmed the vehicle as footage captured the moment officers lifted the rental truck's shutter to reveal who was inside.
Blue police lights could be seen flashing in the road as two families - a total of eight people including two juveniles - emerged from the back of the truck squashed against what appears to be a mountain of furniture.
'Humantrafficking is real, my day yesterday started out as me going with the normal flow of a #tgif to turning into the good #marvel hero of saving humans from being trafficked off,' Proper said.
'I never would’ve thought I actually would have seen this right in front of my eyes and not just in movies or hear about it word of mouth'.
Gwinnett Police Department squashed human trafficking fears however, telling MailOnline the two families claimed they were traveling from Alabama to Maryland for a new job opportunity.
'The person who posted the video indicated that people in the back of the truck were possibly being trafficked,' it said.
'Our officers stopped that vehicle on June 21, on I-85 Northbound near Sugarloaf Pkwy.
'The back of the van had two families (eight people total including two juveniles).
'They were not tied up or in distress. They appeared healthy and agreed to speak with the officers.
'The occupants all told officers that they were traveling from Alabama to Maryland for a new job opportunity. The truck also included their personal belongings'.
It added that the driver of the truck was cited for allowing the occupants to ride in the back of the truck without a seatbelt.
'The occupants were taken to a local business by officers and dropped off so that they could find an alternate way to get to Maryland,' it added.
'There is no evidence at this time of human trafficking.'
